Compressed-air fluid lift



R. W. RICHMOND COMPRESSED AIR FLUID LIFT 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 23,

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R. W. RICHMOND COMPRESSED AIR FLUID LIFT Filed Aug. 23,

I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Raymond B. fi/lcfimond ATTORNEYS d zgfl/ LSIUJUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I\ Nh ATTORNEYS R. W. RICHMOND COMPRESSED AIR FLUID LIFT Sept. 30, B924.

Filed Auz. 23

Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND w. RICHMOND, 0F mnxm, TEXAS,

ASSIGNOR ONE-FOURTH TO CHARLES L. ROWAN, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS; ONE-FOURTH Tb WILLIAM-A. SAND- BERG AND ONE-FOURTH T0 FRANZ O. MJELLEM, BOTH OF MEXIA, TEXAS.

COMPRESSED-AIR FLUID LIFT.

Application flled August 23, 1922. Serial No. 583,883.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND V. RICH- MOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mexia, in the county of Limestone and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compressed-Air Fluid Lifts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, which generally has reference to fluid elevator mechanisms, is more particularly directed to improvements in that type of fluid elevator mechanisms in which means, at the top of the well, is provided for directing air or gas, under compression, down into the well for maintaining the outflow of the fluid within the well, after the natural or internal gas pressure becomes insufficient to raise the fluid out of the top of the well.

As is well known to those familiar with the art of drilling and maintaining oil wells, that after continuous flow or gushing of an oil well, (under its natural internal pressure.) the pressure becomes reduced so that it is insufficient to lift or maintain a desired outflow of the oil from the well, thus making it necessary to use pumps and other means for extracting the oil from the well and since external means, such as stated, for maintaining the oil outflow from the well is more or less expensive, my invention is particularly designed for the utilization of compressed air and projecting such compressed air into the well in such manner that the air,

' mixing with the fluid within the well, renders the fluid (oil) of lighter specific gravity, and thereby raises the same; which controls the flow of the compressed air before it mixes with the fluid whereb to create a.

vacuumbelow the point of air distribution within the well and thereby, under force, lift the fluid up through the discharge pipe to a discharging point of delivery outside of the well.

Another and important object of my invention is to provide an assembly of cooperative parts, that constitute my improved construction of compressed 'air fluid lift mechanism, in which is included a packer, and which are adapted for being wholly supported by the disc arge pipe so as to relieve the packer device of weight as the said assembly is being lowered into the well, and thereby permit the packer device to easily slide down through the casing during the process of lowering it, but when the perforated end or bull plug at the lower end hits the well bottom, the weight of the discharg pipe will be transferred to and engage the top of the packer ring and so compress such packer, asto make the same expand tightly against the casing of the well to thereby keep the atmosphere from entermg pay sand and at the same time keeping gas from escaping from the oil.

Among other objects, my invention seeks to provide an oil lifting mechanism of the general character stated; which can be readily lowered into the well; which is of a relatively simple and inexpensive construction; in which the cooperative parts are so arranged and combined that they will not become readily disconected and a pro er working thereof interfered with and which effectively serve their intended purposes;

With other objects in view which will hereinafter be apparent, my invention consists of a compressed air fluid lift mechanism that embodies the peculiar features of construction and novel arrangement of the parts, fully explained in the following detailed descriptlon, as particularly outlined in the appended claims, and as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure '1 illustratesin side elevation a practical assemblage of my compressed air fluid lifting mechanism, within a. well casin", the latter being shown in section.

igure 2 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the said fluid lift mechanism, parts being broken away and in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a vertical section'of an upper portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1 and in which is included the packer devices and couplin connections that join the adjacent ends of t lift or dischargin pipe and which provide for the intake and passage for the down going compressed an between the separator and discharging pipes and connect with the air fluid lift valve mechanism shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of my fluid lift mechanism taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 5 is a detail cross section on the line 5--5 on w 4 and particularly illustrates the air chamber connected with the air pipe, the back check valve for such pipe being shown in the open position.

Figure 6 is a vertical section of one of the back check valves located at intervals along the discharge or lift pipe.

Figures 7 and 8 are vertical sections of the swedged nipple connections hereinafter mentioned.

Figure 9 is a detail section partly in elevation, of "the main valve body with the air chamber at the upper end thereof and the removable valve seat located in the lower portion thereof. 1

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are detail horizontal sections on the lines 1010, 1111 and 12-12 on Figure 3, respectively.

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic section of the .well casing and showing the parts in the position they assume while being lowered into the said casing.

In the practical development of my in vention, in which the'parts are assembled and operatively combined, as shown in the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the usual perforated end member or bull plug" and in my construction it is coupled, by threaded connections, with the lower end of, what is hereinafter termed, the valve body 9, the said body being of sufliciently less diameter than the well casing in to move freely therethrough'when the assembly is being lowered into the casing from the top of the well or is withdrawn therefrom.

In my construction, when lowering the lift into the well, the whole outfit is supported by the discharge pipe 11 which, as Is tsomewhat diagrammatically shown in Figure 1, extends above the top of the well, passes through a bushin 22 and by piping discharges at any desired point. By referring more particularly to Figure 3 of the drawings it will be seen the lower end of the upper section of the discharge pipe 11 terminates in a bell or swedge mouth 11, and coo erative with the bell mouth end of the sai pipe 11 is a lower section 5 which constitutes a continuation of the discharge pipe the pipe section 5 w and which has a slip joint connection with the upper pipe sect on 11 to provide for a limited vertical movement of the discharge pipe section 11, the reason for which will presently appear. i

The upper portion of the pipe section 5 is also swedged as at and the said pipe section 5 is of somewhat greater diameter than the pipe section 11 to provide for a limited travel of the bell mouth end of the upper discharge pipe-section 11 within en such section 11 is lifted, by any suitable means located at the top of the well, and when it is desired to lift the whole outfit from within the well casing.

In practice, the sliding joint or pipe section 5 has a vertical movement of about four inches, with respect to the pipe section 11, and it is this free movement of some of the parts that provides for the compression of my construction of packer devices after the whole outfit has been lowered into the well casing and into the operative posi tion.

By again referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the upper discharge pipe is shown as composed of two sections whose meeting ends are externally threaded at 51 and 11 respectively and are secured fluid-tight by a sleeve 13.

The sleeve 13 has an external thread at the lower end and it receives the threaded upper end of a perforated swedged sleeve 2 which is of substantially the internal diameter of the casing m and is of sufiicient length to fit down over the sliding joint between the discharge pipe portions 11 and 5 to a :oint somewhat lower than the lower swedgc 52 of the pipe section 5.

That portion of the pipe 5 below the swedge or bend 52 terminates in a reduced diameter, such diameter being that of the pipe section 11 and at the lower extremity it has an external thread 53 for receiving an internally threaded tubular coupling 55 which joins the said pipe section, fluidtight, with another length of dischar e.

At the lower extremity, the discharge pipe section 54 joins with a tubular coupling 15 that connects with the upper threaded end of an inner swedged nipple 16 whose lower end joins with the valve body 9, before referred to, and constitutes a mixing chamber since it is within the said internal nipple 16 that the compressed air that is fed into the, well is mixed with the up-drawn oil in the manner to be fully explained.

8 designates what is termed a se arating pipe since it separates the exterior oi the dis charging pipe from the oil and provides a surrounding passage which opens at the top to the air space within the casing above thepacking device, the latter, in my construction of air fluid lift mechanism, being located above pay sand and which when set to the operative osition, within the well casing, presses tightly against the said casing and thereby keeps atmosphere from entering the pay sand and at the same time prevents gas escaping from the oil.

12 designates a packing ring, preferably rubber, that fits tightly about the separator pipe 7, between a top ring 3, which also fits around the ipe 8, and between it and the inner wall of the casing m, and a bottom ring 30 that fits the pipe 8 and seats on the top of a coupling sleeve 17 which joins two sections of the separator pipe 8 fluid-tight, as is clearly shown in Figure 3.

When fitted about the pi e 8, between the upper and lower rings 3 and 30 respectively.

and when at its normal contracted condition, the said packing ring 12 is of sufliciently reduced diameter to slide freely down into the casing :2 when the entire outfit is lowered into the well, the expansion of the packer, for grip ing against the casing to to produce a fiui -tight closure between the lower or oil holding portion of the casing and the upper or air receiving end being automatically provide-d for, when lowering the said outfit in the well and as will be presently fully explained.

eferring now to Figure 2 of the drawings, it will be seen the lower end of the inner swedge nipple 16 threads, fluid-tight, into the internally threaded face of a vertical tubular extension 90 formed on the upper end of the bell body, 9. The extension 90 is also externally threaded for fitting,

fluid-tight, an outer swedged nipple 20, the upper edge of which is held fluid-tight against the lower extremity of the separator pipe 8, the said nipple 20 and the inner nipple 16 forming an annular air passage 80 that communicates with another air passage '81 between the discharge pipe end 54 and the separator pipe 8, and which communicates, at the upper end, with the air passage through the well casing m above the packer devices, as shown.

Within the upper end of the valve body 9 is formed an annular air chamber 7 that communicates, through a series of gvertical passages 70-70, with the air passage 80, before referred to.

The valve body 9 is tubular and located 95 designates a cross passage that conmeets at its opposite ends with the annular chamber 7 and which is always in communication with the inlet end of an air pipe 4 through which the air passes into a valve distributing head 40 which is threaded onto the upper end of the air pipe 4. The head 40, which has a series of nozzle-like apertures 41', also constitutes-a ca e in which is held a gravity ball valve 42 t at en ages a I seat 43 and closes the pipe 4 against t e back passing of any of the mixed oil and air that may be contained within the discharge pipe when the air supply or pressure is cut out from the well.

To facilitate the placing of the valve 42, the to of the head or cage 40 is in the nature o a screw plug 45, as is clearly shown pipe.

in Figure 5. In Figure 6, is illustrated a back check'gravity valve 6 which normally tends to drop and close onto the valve seat 60 in a coupling cagev 61 in the discharge In practice, one of such check valve connections 60 is placed at about every ten joints of the discharging line.'.

By reason of forming the discharging line into upper and lower sections, whose meeting ends have a relatively slidableconnection, and forming the lower end of the upper portion of the discharging pipe' bell shaped, as shown in Figure 3, it follows that when lowering my compressed air liquid lift mechanism into thevalve casing, the whole outfit, that extends below the upper end of the dlscharging line that is, the packing devices, the separator pipe on which the said devices are carried, the main valve body 9 to which the separator pipe is connected, is supported by the upper discharging pipe portion, the said parts stated being, as it were sustained on the flared lower end of the dischar e end 11, as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 13, by reference to which it will be seen that when such adjustment of the parts exists the lower end of the perforated tubular member 2 is located some distance from the ring 3.

Assuming the whole outfit, assembled as in Figure 13, is now being lowered into the well casing, the packing being now at its restricted diameter, the whole outfit will easily lower into the casing, which operation may be done in any manner best known to well drillers. When the perforated pipe end or bull plug at the bottom of the lift hits the bottom of the well, the weight of all of the discharge pipe above will then be transferred through the perforated swedge tube 2, to the top ring 3 of the rubber packer 12 which will then compress the said rubber packer 12 making the same, press tightly against the casing wall and thereby keeping atmosphere from entering pay sand and at the same time keep gas from escaping from the oil, as before mentioned. The bell shape of the lower end of the discharge line 11 also tends to prevent splashing of the mixed oil and air between the slip joints of the parts 11 and5 and prevents leakage between the said slip joints.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

separator pipe above the oil sand and at this point the air enters the passage between the separator pipe and the discharge pipe and is forced down through the vertical passages in the annular extension 90 of the main or valve body 9, and entering the air chamber 7, such compressed air passes up through the air pipe 4*, and passing through the orifices in the air distributor 40 in the top of the said air pipe 4, the said air enters into the nipple or chamber 16 where it comes into contact and mixes with the fluid (oil).

- i The air, as in all air lifts, mixing with the fluid, makes such fluid of lighter specific gravity, thereby raising same, and in the construction shown it will also create a vacuum below the distributor thereby forcing the fluid up. The arrows in the several figures of the drawings indicate the direction of flow of the compressed air, its passage to and through the air chamber 7 and the distributor 40 in the mixing chamber or inner nipple 16, the lift of the fluid from the bottom of the well and the passage of the mixed air and fluid up through the discharge line.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a fluid lift mechanism of the character stated, the said mechanism including a discharge or lift pipe that delivers above the well casing, a tubular member that surrounds and is spaced apart from the discharge pipe and provides an air passage from the top of the well casing to direct the air below the discharge pipe, air ducts that establish communication between the lower end of the discharge pipe and the said upper end of the casing, back check valves between the air intake to the discharge pipe and the oil level, packer devices mounted above the aforesaid air tube, the said devices including an expansible body ring, a stationary ring that constitutes the bottom support for the expansible body ring and a top ring that engages the upper edge of the said expansible body ring and slidably engages the air tube, and a slidable member that constitutes a part of the outfit which transfers the weight of the overhead portions onto the slidable ring of the packer devices when the lower end of the lift mechanlsm engages the bottom of the well to thereby expand the said packer body.

2. In a fluid lift of the character described, the combination with the well casng; of a lift mechanism adapted for belng bodily lowered into the casing, means for charging air under compression into the well caslng, the said mechanism includin a lift pipe for discharging above the wel means for directing the air from the easing into the lower end of the lift 'pipe whereby to create a suction for lifting the oil into the inlet end of the dischargepipe, a packer that constitutes apart of the lift mechanism for cutting off the well easing above the lift mechanism from the lower or oil pocket of the well, back check valves in the discharging pipe, and means for expanding the packer as the lift outfit is lowered into the casing when the lower end thereof engages the bottom of the well. 7

3. In an air lift pump of the character described, the combination with the well casing; of a lift mechanism including a top and a bottom section, the said sections having coengaging portions, the lower sections being pendently hung on the top section, the top section including a member fixedly at tached thereto and which extends downwardly over the adjacent portion of the bottom section, a packing device fitted over the said adjacent portion of the bottom section, means on the bottom section for holding the packing device in a fixed position relatively to the bottom section, said packing device including a packing ring of expansible material that is normally of such constricted diameter to freely move down into the well casing when the outfit is lowered into the said casing, a ring having a slidable movement on the bottom section and which normally rests on top of the expansible member and constitutes an abutment for being engaged by the member that is fixedly attached to the upper section, when the bottom section is at rest and th top section lowers independently of the bottom section, to thereby expand the packing ring and cause it to move into a sealing enga ement with the well casing.

4. A compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character described comprisin in combination with the well easing into w ieh the compressed air is delivered, a lift mechanism including an upper portion that consists of a discharge pipe section through which the fluid is elevated to discharge above'the well, the lower end of the said pipe section being laterally outwardly flared and a pusher member rigidly attached to the said upper pipe section and which extends below the lower flared end of the said pipe section, a lower portion that includes a discharge pipe section whose upper end telescopically engages with and extends over the lower flared end of the upper pipe section and is adapted for hanging from the said flared end of the upper pipe section when the lift mechanism is lowered into the well casing, means at the lower end of the lower pipe section for projecting the compressed air from the top portion of the well easing over the fluid within the lower part of the casing, and for passing up into the inlet of the discharge pipe with the fluid through the said discharge pipe, and means separating the upper or air receiving end of the well casing from the lower or fluid holding portion of said casing.

5. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism, a lift pipe through which the fluid is lifted and discharged, a valve body portion at the lower end of the lift which is in communication with the said lift pipe, a back check valve for closing off back flow through the said body, an air pipe that projects from the upper end of the saidbody into the entrance end of the lift'pipe, an annular air chamber in the'top of the said body which is in constant communication with the said pipe, and air passages that connect the said air chamber and the upper compressed air holding end of the said well casin 6. n a compressed air fluid lift mechanism, a lift pipe through which the fluid is lifted and discharged, a valve body, portion at the lower end of the lift pipe and in communication with the said lift pipe, a back check valve for closing off back flow through the said body, an air pipe that projects rom the upper end of the said body into the entrance end of the lift pipe, an annular air chamber in the top of said body that is in constant communication with the said pipe, air passages that connect the said air chamberand the upper compressed air holding end of the said well casing, a perforated cage on they upper end of the air pipe for ejecting the air that passes into the said air pipe into the upcoming fluid that is lifted into the fluid dischargin pipe and a back check valve within sai cage.

7. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character stated, the combination with a well easing into the upper end of which the compressed air is received; a lift pipe through which the fluid is lifted and discharged at the upper end thereof, a tubular body attached to the lower end of the said pipe, a separator pipe attached to the said bod and which extends 'up and around the sai lift pipe, at packer on the said separator pipe sealing against the well casing whereby to separate the upper or air receiving end of the casing from the lower or oil pocket of such casing, 'a perforated charge or 11ft pipe, and meansifor lifting the air from. within the well casing into the said air pipe and ejecting the air into the said inlet end of the lift pipe to mix with the up-lifted fluid that asses through the tubular body and a bac check valve in the tubular body for closing off the oil end of the casing from the upper end thereof when the air pressure is off.

8. In'a compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character stated, the combination with a well easing into the upper end of'which the compressed air. is received; a lift pipe. through Whl0h,tl18.fltlli1 fi lifted and discharged at the upper end thereof, a tubular body attached to the lower end of the said pipe, a separator pipe attached to the said body and which extends up and around the said lift pipe, a packer on the said separator pipe sealing against the well casing, whereby to separate the upper or air receiving end of the-casing from the lower or oil pocket of such casing, a perforated bull plug pendent from the said tubular body, an air ejector pipe that projects from the tubular body into the inlet end of the discharge or lift pipe, and means for lifting the air from within the well- .into the receiving end of the air ejector pipe, the said ejector pipe having a perforated discharging nozzle provided with an internal valve seat and a back check valve engaging the seat in the said nozzle.

9. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character stated, the combination with the well casing, an air lift pipe, a perforated bull plug that constitutes the lower end of the said mechanism, a tubular body connected with the top of the bull plug, a back check valve in the fluid passage of the said body, the said body having an annular air chamber in the upper end thereof, an air ejector pipe projected upwardly from the top of the said body and into the lift pipe, said air pipe being held in constant communication with the annular airchamber of the body, an inner nipple, and an outer nipple that surrounds the inner nipple, both nipples being attached to and projected upwardly from the tubular body to thereby form an annular air space around the inner nipple, the latter being coupled with and forming a lower extension of the lift pipe, a separator pipe that is attached to the upper end of the outer nipple and which forms a continuation of the air passage between the two nipples, the said latter air passage being in communication at the top with the air holdin end of the well casing and a packing on t e separator pipe below its upper or air inlet end for sealing against the well casing to separate the air end from the fluid end thereof.

10. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character described, the combination with the well casing, an air lift pipe, a perforated bull plug that constitutes the lower end of the said mechanism, a tubular body connected with the top of the bull plug, a back check valve in the fluid passage of the said body, the said body'having an an nular air chamber in the upper end thereof, an air ejector pipe projected upwardly from the top of the said body and into the lift pipe, said air pipe being held in constant communication with the annular air chamber of the body, an inner nipple and an outer nipple that surrounds the inner nipple,-both nipples being attached to and projected upwardly from the tubular body to thereby form an annular air space around the inner nipple, the latter being coupled with and forming a lower extension of the lift pipe, a separator pipe that is attached to the upper end of the outer nipple and which'forms a continuation of the air passage between the two nipples, the said latter air passage being in communication at the top with the air holding end of the well casing, a packing on the separator pipe below its upper or air inlet end for sealing against the'well casing to separate the air end from the fluid end thereof, and means for coupling the separator pipe and the lift pipes to their respective outer and inner nipple members.

11. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism of the character stated, the combination with the well casing, an air lift pipe, a perforated bull plug that constitutes the lower end of the said mechanism, a tubular body connected with the top of the bull plug, aback check valve in'the fluid passage of the said body, the said body having an annular air chamber in the upper end thereof.

A an air ejector pipe projected upwardly from the top of the said body and into the lift pipe, said air pipe being held in constant communication with the annular air chamber of the body, an inner nipple, and an outer nipple that surrounds the inner uipple, both nipples being attached to and pro -jected upwardly from the tubular body to thereby form an annular air space around the inner nipple, the latter being coupled with and forming a lower extension of the lift pipe, a separator pipe that is attached to the upper end of the outer nipple and which forms a continuation of the air passage between the two nipples, the said latter air passage bein in communication at the top with the air holding end of the wall casing, a packing on the separator pipe below its upper or air inlet end for sealing against the well casing to separate the air end from the fluid end thereof, means for coupling the separator pipe and the lift pipes to their respective outer and inner nipple members, that portion of the lift pipe above the upper end of the separator pipe comprising upper and lower telescopic portions and adapted under plunger movement of the two sections to engage and compress the packer into a tight sealing engagement with the well casing.

12. In a compressed air fluid lift mechanism, the combination with a casing; of a tubular body, a perforated pipe section pendent from the said body, a back check valve in the body for closing off the fluid passage therethrough, the upper end of such body being formed with an annular air chamber, and a cross-over passage connected at the ends with such chamber, an ejector pipe projected from the top of the tubular body and held in constant communication with the cross-over air passage therein, a lift pipe-whose inlet end is attached to the tubular body and fits over the ejector pipe through which air is directed into the lift pipe, the latter being in communication with the oil holding end of the casing when air under pressure is being supplied into the upper end of the casing, packing devices co operative with the air lift pipe and the well casing for sealing the upper or air end 0:? the casing from the lower or oil holding end, and means for leading the air heldun der compression in the casing into the air chamber of the tubular bod RAYMOND W. hlCHMOND, 

